Friday fish fry: a few comments and questions

In the spirit of lent, I have been visiting a few fish frys for the past few weeks and have had mediocre experiences at best.
3 weeks ago: Celtic crown served a breaded baked perch that was pretty bland but the service was decent

2 weeks ago: The rail served a really good piece of beer battered cod but the fries were lukewarm and soggy. Service was terrible, which defeats the concept of all you can eat. However, you can't beat pints of guiness, bass and harp for 2.50

Last week: Grizzley's tavern served the worst yet. Greasy and I mean greasy tater tots that stayed in my stomach like a brick until the next day. The service was the worst that I had ever experienced and granted the waitor admitted that they were terrible understaffed and he had been hired 48 hours before.

So, looking down the barrel of another friday fish fry, where would be a good one in the lincoln square, andersonville area that has a pub atmosphere? I know that this question has probably already been addressed here but I didn't have much luck finding it.

Another question do you all think it's common to understaff all you can eat specials just so people lose their patience waiting rather than get another plate?

Though I have not had the fish & chips there, I have enjoyed everything else I've had -- and have always loved the atmosphere and received great service - from The Grafton. I have no idea if they have an "all-you-can-eat" special but they do definitely have fish & chips.

bern bern wrote:Another question do you all think it's common to understaff all you can eat specials just so people lose their patience waiting rather than get another plate?

Heck yes!

I remember going to an "all you can eat" shrimp shack place in So. VA in college. We were maybe 6 people, and each "refill" for the table would be about 12 shrimp. It was insane! We were starved and sucked down the shrimp in about 2 seconds, then had to wait 20 minutes for the next refill...

Leek

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We went to Rockland Cafe for their Friday fish fry. When we walked in we saw advertized their buffet for $8.95 featuring roast chicken, rib tips and walleye fish. We decided immediately to go with the buffet.

While we were eating our clam chowder, the waiter comes by inquiring if we wanted the buffet. We indicated we were here for the fish, so yes the buffet is fine. Once he learned we wanted fish, he propose three variants which were presented in such a confusing manner I had to have him repeat at least 4 times.

1. There is the fish special for $8.95 where he brings us a portion of fish only once. with mashed potatoes or fries, vegetable and salad or soup.
2. The all you can eat fish meal with mashed potatoes or fries, vegetables and salad or soup for $9.95.
3. Buffet for $8.95 with soup, salad, fish, chicken and rib tips.

We almost ordered the $8.95 fish special until our trance was broken by having to choose between soup and salad. We couldn't understand why any choice was necessary when we could take both from the buffet for the same money.

When I analyzed why he even brought up the other two variants, it was simply a matter of tips for full service or minimal service. I wish I could even begin to represent how confusing these service variants were presented. Thank goodness the fog in our minds cleared in time.

One place where I have had very decent service despite the "All You Can Eat" offering for rather good fish and chips is Duke of Perth on Clark Street. They offer it twice a week, I think. What I love is that the fish and chips also come with peas, and seeing something green makes me feel just a teeny bit better about the fried and fried scene (fish and chips) I am enjoying. Plus, Duke of Perth has a delightful "garden" in the back.

If you're willing to totally shift your paradigm in terms of expectations, Wikstrom's (deli) on Clark in Andersonville does a modest but completely home-done fish um, offering every Friday all year long. They offer two kinds of battered fish, usually perch and cod and then battered shrimp. They make their own tarter sauce which is amazing! My only beef, agh, the thing that pains my heart is that they nuke the fish, they do. Nuking anything breaded is like nuking a croissant. It can kill it. But that said, I have enjoyed a couple of Friday's worth of fish and shrimp at Wikstrom's . . . and I think because the coating is thin enough it still tastes pretty good and they um, have a light touch on the microwave situation.

Note that you could snag some fish and other treats (Swedish meatballs!) from Wikstrom's and head on over to Simon's and eat it at the bar and no one would nat an eye or take offense. What I am saying is I have done this a few times and have been very happy.

Based on Cathy2’s comments on 4/7 I tried the Rockland Café in Lake Bluff. It is now called the Rockland Tavern or on another sign Fatman Tavern. As such I wasn’t sure I had the right place, but the address: 525 Rockland Rd. was the same. She was right about the confusing menu. It seems one can have all the walleye and soup & salad you want for $10.95 OR you can have the full buffet which includes all of that plus chicken and baked trout for $10.95.

I had a bloody Mary and my SO had a glass of wine while we decided. We both took the full buffet. Afterwards I again questioned my own intelligence. I don’t know why I expect big buffets to be anything more than “Ok” when they are priced so cheaply.

Summary I don’t plan on going again. The service was very poor and the food/fish was ok to not very good. We had to ask for a glass of water three times for example. The price for my bloody Mary was $7 and the glass of wine was $6. Both of which I thought a little on the high side for the type and location of the restaurant.

... just wanted to bump this topic, since it's the Lenten season. Any additions or suggestions? Care to chime in about any of these places mentioned in this (old) Metromix article?

I know the English-style fish-n-chips question has been asked before, but we're looking for more of the 1960s dinner club / church basement 'Sconny style of Friday night fish fry. With the coleslaw. As you can see, we don't mess around.

The Whiting Elks and Lansing Knights of Columbus both have Friday night fish frys. And now during Lent, many Catholic churches in the area also have Friday fish frys...by far the biggest is at St. Thomas More in Munster.

je_suis_ici wrote:I know the English-style fish-n-chips question has been asked before, but we're looking for more of the 1960s dinner club / church basement 'Sconny style of Friday night fish fry.

It continues to amaze me that Milwaukee (and all of Wisconsin for that matter) is awash in good fish fries while Chicago proper has so few. One place you ought to check out is Club 81 Too. A little bit of Wisconsin in Hegewisch.

d4v3 wrote:I have been curious about the Friday night fish fry at the Serbian Social center in Lansing, but I have never been able to get together a field trip to check it out.

Another Serbian fish fry I've been curious about is at St Elijah's in Merrillville.

St Elijah's is another impressive striped Serbian Orthodox church (compare with the picture of St Simeon Miroticivi in the Club 81 Too thread). On Fridays from 4 to 8pm a fish fry is served in the bar of the adjoining Serbian American Center.

Barbarella wrote:has anyone been to the Duke of Perth on Clark? they used to have a good fish fry...

I went a couple of months ago with some co-workers. They still have all-you-can-eat fish and chips on Wednesday and Friday. I am no F-n-C expert, but I enjoyed what I had, and one of my co-workers was particularly fond of the peas, as are some other posters here on LTH. I didn't see the charm of the peas, myself.

Edgewater Lounge in Andersonville (corner of Ashland and Bryn Mawr), with it's very laid back (dive bar/hipster-ish?) vibe and a very respectable beer selection, has an all you can eat Friday Fish Fry that's pretty good. We really like the bar food they have in general, but if you're into the all you can eat fish and chips thing, I'd recommend it. There's something "lime" in the description if I remember correctly, but I can't quote it. I usually get the sandwich version of the fish (any day of the week).

Very nice in the summer, too, with their sidewalk patio set up.

EDIT: Oops, just saw a mention of "Edgewater Tavern" in an old linked post above, so I'm not the first to mention Edgewater Lounge. BTW I'm pretty sure the menu says the fish is cod.

Last edited by lee corrina on February 28th, 2007, 3:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Barbarella wrote:has anyone been to the Duke of Perth on Clark? they used to have a good fish fry...

I don't mean to pick on you Barbarella but D of P was mentioned earlier in this thread and I think, in general, people have different ideas of what a "fish fry" is.

I wonder if anyone else agrees with me on this, but I don't think of D of P as a "fish fry." It's fish and chips in the British pub style. (they do a very good job, by the way).

I look at it this way:
Fish and Chips comes in to versions:

1) Pub style - Usually haddock that has been battered (usually in a beer batter) and deep fried served with "chips" (fries) and often accompanied by peas. The fish comes out with a thick deep golden brown coating. Pretty much every English or Irish pub in the world has this dish and not just on Fridays.

2) Chip-shop style - haddock that is lightly breaded/floured (or a thin batter) and deep fried. Served with fries and wrapped in newspaper. The fish has a paper thin crisp crust - sort of like fried-chicken- and has light golden color.
Never been to England or Ireland but I had an Irish friend in San Francisco who told me about a place thiere called "The Old Chelsea" and described it as a truly authentic "Chip Shop." Just across the street from this place was a scottish pub called "Edinburgh Castle." At the Castle, you could order Old Chelsea from the waitress or bartender. I lived in SF for 6 years and I would say going to Edinburgh Castle is the biggest thing I miss about SF.

Then there is a "fish fry."

Midwest style fish fry is usually a lake fish I've been seeking a good fish fry to try out. I think of it as a whole different thing than british fish and chips.

The other "fish fry", which I've never seen outside my hometown of Albany, NY, is a long piece of of a whitefish breaded and deepfried and served on a hot dog roll and topped with a mild chili sauce. There were a handful of places in Albany that served this - This is the only thing I miss about living in Albany, NY - Friday night trip to Ted's Fish Fry or Bob & Ron's Fish Fry. Albany needs to get with whomever in Buffalo spread the "wing" across the country and get this out there. It's delicious.

I wonder if other LTHers has a solid recommendation in Chicago on non-F&C fish fry.

Midwest style fish fry is usually a lake fish I've been seeking a good fish fry to try out. I think of it as a whole different thing than british fish and chips.

Yeah, that's kind-of what I was looking for as well ... but it kind of veered into a Fish and Chips discussion (not that I don't mind F&C).

We're gonna try out the VFW in Lincolnwood and Club 81 in the near future. I think that's probably the closest (near Chicago) to a Midwestern fish fry we're gonna encounter ... thanks for those suggestions!

Reviving an old topic, cos 'tis the season for Lenten Fish Fries. Once again, I'm on the search for some good ol' church basement or 'Sconnie-style fish fries. Last year, I went to the St Gregory Church (in Andersonville) annual fish fry -- fish, potato, coleslaw and dessert, plus raffles and a basement beer bar -- and it was great fun. But I haven't seen any notices for it yet (it's probably too early, since they seem to hold it later during the Lenten season).

Anyway, long story short: If you have any leads on neighborhood church fish fries in Chicago -- I'll take em!

I have recommended McGills Bar as my fave fish fry before. It is at 4553 N. Pulaski in Chicago. A Friday regular on my dance card. Crispy beer batter, slaw and choice of many potatoes (it's an Irish place). Around 7.25 for a large two piece plate, and about 8.50 for all you can eat. Nice friendly neighborhood place. You can bring friends and family with no probs.